Preslav Kostov

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Preslav Kostov (b.1998,Bulgaria), is a London based painter and draughtsman whose work engages with the intricacies of identity and the immigrant experience. Employing the technique of automatism, Kostov’s paintings emerge from a cumulative process of self-questioning.

Kostov's imposing compositions dialog with the form and palette of the old master painters, presenting imagined scenes of personal struggle situated within a liminal realm. His works speak to the enduring reality of human experience while rejecting association with any particular moment in time.

Presenting anonymous ghost-like figures unconnected to any singular narrative or experience, his subjects inhabit a realm untethered from worldly possessions or cultural signifiers. The tangled forms, with their alluring asymmetry, evoke a melancholic isolation inviting the viewer to contemplate the complexities of the human condition.

He is a recipient of The Elizabeth Greenshields Award (2021 & 2023) and an elected member of The Contemporary British Portrait Painters Society.​​​​​​​

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"Ghosts of dead ends slowly stack into a scaffold. Each mark opens a pathway for someone. I find my own route through the muddle."